Locally (Baltimore MD), in the city at least, there’s been a plague of car thefts for a while, specifically of Hyundai and Kia models. I forget the exact details, but there’s a software glitch that basically makes them child’s play to hotwire and roll off with.
A lot don’t have immobilizers (the thing that locks the steering wheel) and you don’t need even need to hot wire, just rip out the guard under the steering wheel and put a USB plug in and turn (the plug fits the hole). It’s pretty bad, and it became more known after TikTok started sharing how easy it was to do.
Immobilisers are electronic chips in the key and ignition that pairs when brought together to allow you to start the car. A steering lock, locks the steering wheel.
It sucks, because they seem to be great reliable economy cars, otherwise, from what I can tell. The fact that they are stolen so easily has kept me from looking into purchasing one.
They’re not very reliable either, but as long as you get rid of it before the 10 year mark when the warranty on the drivetrain expires, they aren’t entirely a bad option if you want something cheap.
Locally (Baltimore MD), in the city at least, there’s been a plague of car thefts for a while, specifically of Hyundai and Kia models. I forget the exact details, but there’s a software glitch that basically makes them child’s play to hotwire and roll off with.
A lot don’t have immobilizers (the thing that locks the steering wheel) and you don’t need even need to hot wire, just rip out the guard under the steering wheel and put a USB plug in and turn (the plug fits the hole). It’s pretty bad, and it became more known after TikTok started sharing how easy it was to do.
Immobilisers are electronic chips in the key and ignition that pairs when brought together to allow you to start the car. A steering lock, locks the steering wheel.
And they didn’t really do much of anything to rectify it.
They sent me a claim form for a steering wheel lock. I traded the vehicle in for a Ford
Yeah I had heard about that. What a shit solution
I love this.
It sucks, because they seem to be great reliable economy cars, otherwise, from what I can tell. The fact that they are stolen so easily has kept me from looking into purchasing one.
They’re not very reliable either, but as long as you get rid of it before the 10 year mark when the warranty on the drivetrain expires, they aren’t entirely a bad option if you want something cheap.
Hello fellow Baltimorean!